Shiro The Hero Fanbook!
by MissMoMo1990
Summary: Coran's ideas for promoting Voltron include a more personal presentation of the Paladins. Set during Season 4, Episode 4.


_Shiro The Hero Fanbook!_

 _ **Voltron: Legendary Defender**_

Setting: Season 4, Episode 4

Summary: Coran's ideas for promoting Voltron include a more personal presentation of the Paladins. 

It was a rare occurrence that Shiro found himself completely speechless. Such was the case now as he stood in the meeting room inside the Castle of Lions, arms folded and mouth slightly agape. His attention was directed to the large screen in front of him which currently displayed a picture of himself – a close-up, half-naked picture of himself.

It had clearly been taken moments after he had stepped out of the shower. Wisps of steam curled around him while water droplets clung to his hair and streamlined down his bare chest. The only thing protecting his dignity was a short, white towel tucked low around his hips. A chorus of snickers sounded from the other Paladins in the room. Shiro grimaced, feeling his entire face burn with embarrassment, and turned to Coran who had been standing beside him and watching his reaction carefully.

"So, what do you think?" the aged Altean asked with a beaming smile.

"…I…uh…wh-…when did you take this?" Shiro stammered. " _Why_ did you take this?"

"For Voltron's next promotional campaign of course!" Coran responded as though the answer should have been painfully obvious. Clapping a hand on Shiro's shoulder, he waved the other in front of him like he was creating a visionary. "Just imagine! An up-close and personal look into the lives of the Paladins of Voltron!..."

"Can't get much more personal than that," Lance muttered to Hunk while nodding at the screen. The two collapsed against each other, covering the mouths with their hands to hold back their laughter which became even more difficult when Shiro aimed a red-faced glare at them.

"…Starting with our fearless leader!" Coran continued. Gripping the Black Paladin's arm, he lifted it high in a gesture of victory. "Shiro The Hero!"

"Absolutely not," Shiro declared dryly and yanked his arm free. His forehead scrunched as his mouth curled into a frown. "These promotions are supposed to be about garnering support for our fight against Zarkon not…" He gestured towards his picture. "…not me!"

"Perhaps you'd like to see the rest of the photos I've gathered!" the red-haired man suggested, not the least bit deterred by Shiro's immediate disapproval. Smile widening, he reached out to touch the control that would change the image on screen. "Here's the next one!"

Before Shiro could protest, the first picture disappeared and was replaced by another that was equally mortifying. His photo-self was still wrapped in the skimpy towel only this time the camera had captured him from behind and had made a point of emphasizing his thighs and derrière. More laughter erupted from his teammates, including some high-pitched giggles from Pidge and Allura. Shiro's ears went pink and he suddenly understood why the towels in the shower room had seemed abnormally small yesterday.

"And the next!"

The third image was no better. It showed Shiro in his towel skirt, staring into the mirror as he shaved away his five-o'clock shadow. Once again, the angle of the camera left little to the imagination which incited more giggling.

"And the next!"

In the fourth, Shiro was relieved to see that he was clothed in shorts and a tank top. He was in the training room, crouched low at the bottom of a push-up. His hair was plastered to his forehead by sweat and veins snaked along his left arm.

"And the next!"

This time he was flat on his back with his hands tucked behind his head to support it through a crunch exercise. He'd kept his short, but had somehow lost his shirt again. Each muscle in his abdomen seemed grossly exaggerated. Whether that was due to the lighting inside the training room or humiliation skewing his perspective, Shiro couldn't be sure.

"And the next!"

Coran repeated the phrase each time the picture changed. Shiro watched with increasing despair as the most mundane details of his everyday life were shared: running on the treadmill, swimming, tending his weapons, putting on his socks, reading a book, folding his laundry, eating, drinking, and daydreaming. There was even a capture of him mid-sneeze at which point Hunk and Lance couldn't no longer try to fake solemnity and doubled over with laughter. The show finally ended on a shot of the Black Paladin stretched across his bunk, dressed in his boxers while sleeping.

How Coran had managed to capture such a large number of invasive pictures without his noticing was a great mystery. Shiro was so deep in thought trying to solve it that he didn't immediately register the fact that Coran had started speaking to the group at large.

"…biographies, interviews, fact sheets, horoscopes, and pictures!" he was saying with manic enthusiasm. Coran's clenched fists shook and his right eye twitched rapidly. His appearance suggested that he had pulled an all-nighter then tried to keep exhaustion at bay by over-dosing on caffeine. "All artistically arranged into one amazing fanbook!"

Silence fell heavily over the room. Coran looked around at the five Paladins expectantly, waiting for someone to comment on the brilliance of his plan. When the shock of the announcement faded, Shiro was the first to offer a response.

"No," the leader stated resolutely. "No fanbook. Not for me. Not for anyone."

"What do you mean 'no'?!" Coran demanded, his voice raising as his face immediately switched from jubilance to outrage.

"I mean no," Shiro replied in a firmer tone and before he could elaborate further he was interrupted by Lance.

"Awww, come on, Shiro!" the former Blue Paladin protested, stepping forward. He rather liked this idea to please and tease his mass of recently acquired fans by means of a tell-all, show-all fanbook. "Think about it! The universe deserves to know about the people behind the Legendary Defender!" Tossing his head back proudly, Lance gestured at himself. "Me, The Loverboy…" He slung his left arm around Shiro's shoulders and grinned up at the slightly taller human. "…you, The Hero…" His expression sobered, but it was with complete jest that he jerked his thumb back at their comrades. "…and the other three."

"Hey!" Pidge and Hunk squawked simultaneously while Allura merely scowled.

"Lance is right!" Coran exclaimed, eager to seize whatever support he had for his scheme. He moved to Shiro's free side and hooked an arm around him as well. "What better way to garner support than by wooing the tender hearts of lovely ladies everywhere?" Pausing, Coran rolled the end of his moustache between his fingers pensively. "And perhaps even a few gentlemen."

"No," Shiro repeated while shrugging off their embrace.

"Why not, boss?" Lance inquired. He caught a glimpse of the boxer-clad Shiro on screen and smirked. "Don't tell me it's because you're too shy…"

"That's not it at all!" Shiro denied hotly.

"Shiro Takashi? Shy?" Coran question incredulously. "Nonsense! I've seen you on stage! I've heard you give speeches!" He prodded Shiro's chest with his forefinger. "You're a crowd pleaser, Shiro, a natural! You belong in the spotlight! This should be, as you Earthers say, a walk in the forest for you!"

"Okay, the expression is 'a walk in the park'," Pidge corrected.

"Yeah, and can I just point out that Shiro has always been fully dressed for all public appearances not posing in his underwear?" Hunk added.

"Details!" Coran scoffed and gave a dismissive wave.

"Well, don't even think about asking me to do it," Hunk replied then crossed his arms and lifted his nose in the air. "Because I'm not gonna."

"Me neither," Pidge declared, mimicking the Yellow Paladin's movement.

"Don't be lame, Hunk!" Lance chastised.

"Enough!" Shiro snapped as Hunk opened his mouth to argue. His sudden ferocity shocked everyone into silence again. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shiro took a moment to calm his temper. "Look, Coran, I appreciate all the hard work you've done to arrange and carry out these public appearances, but you're losing sight of our goal. We want to give people reason to believe that we're here to help them and that we can lead the battle that will defeat the Galra Empire once and for all. What you're proposing would expose way too much personal information that Zarkon and his followers could use against us. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to put my foot down. No fanbooks about anyone."

Eye twitching again, Coran sucked in a breath to issue an argument but Allura cut him off.

"I agree with Shiro, Coran," she said, stepping past Pidge to approach her long-time family friend. "We don't want to make ourselves vulnerable or put anyone in danger simply because they know too much information about us."

Coran slowly blew out the air he'd inhaled. Even under the influence of the brain worm he knew that he was utterly defeated if Shiro and Allura were of the same opinion. Tossing his hands up in resignation, he turned and began marching from the room.

"Fine! I'll scrap the whole thing!" he raged mostly to himself. "I'll just come up with a new idea! A new idea that's so brilliant they can't possibly say no!"

The five Paladins stood watching the doorway through which Coran had disappeared and waited until they could no longer hear his ramblings before speaking.

"…should we be worried about him?" Pidge asked no one in particular.

"I think he's just under a lot of stress right now," Lance answered.

"And not handling it very well," Hunk added. "A Voltron Fanbook? Seriously?"

"I'll speak with him later," the princess volunteered. "After he's had time to calm down a bit."

Shiro gave her a grateful nod as she proposed to do exactly what he had just been about to suggest. "Thanks, Allura." Checking the time on his watch, he issued his final command for the night. "It's been a long day for us and we've got another one coming tomorrow. Let's get some rest, team."

There was some minor grumbling from the youngest Paladins, but they all did as they were told, biding everyone a good night as they headed off to their respective bedrooms. Shiro lingered behind. Turning towards the screen, he stared at his picture for a solid minute before shaking his head and powering down the device. He'd figure out how to permanently delete that embarrassing album first thing tomorrow morning.

His footsteps were inaudible as he made his way to his own bed. As soon the doors slide shut behind him, he was tugging his shirt over his head and tossing it in the direction of the laundry hamper. A sudden thought struck him while he was fiddling with his belt and it made him stop undressing immediately. Shiro then proceeded to search every inch of his room, certain that there was a camera hidden somewhere, but found nothing. Standing in the middle of the floor, he couldn't shake the suspicious feeling that his every move was still being watched and recorded.

It would be a very long time before he felt comfortable taking off his clothes again.


End file.
